Maui Festival Seeks Local Support

The Indigenous Crop Biodiversity Festival will be held on Maui next month from August 24th through the 30th, it comes weeks ahead of the World Conservation Congress, put on by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, that is coming to Honolulu in September.

The IUCN is the largest and most prestigious conservation gathering in the world and is expected to attract as many as 8,000 delegates to Hawaiʻi and result in an estimated economic impact of $37.7 million in visitor spending, and $3.6 million in tax revenue, according to Brian Lynx, vice president of meetings, conventions and incentives for the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Indigenous Crop Biodiversity Festival poster from the 2016 Taro Festival in Hana.
Photo Courtesy Nicole Schenfeld

The conference is held once every four years and aims to improve management of the natural environment.

It was announced a few months ago that Maui would participate with a very special pre-conference event, the ICBF. It will provide a rare and special status for Maui County to a global audience.

The County of Maui and 40 cultural and conservation organizations have already invested in the success of the festival, but more help is needed.

With five weeks remaining, ICBF is reaching out to Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce members who may want to consider sponsoring the event.

ICBF will showcase Maui County’s unique role as a center for traditional Hawaiian crop biodiversity conservation in the state. It will also explore Maui and Moloka’i’s unique conservation efforts and solutions in the face of rapid climate change.

Visitors will see Maui’s botanical gardens and farm based kalo, maiʻa, ʻuala, kō and ʻawa collections in addition to the world-class Breadfruit Institute at National Tropical Botanical Garden – Kahanu Garden in Hāna.

More than any other island, Maui chefs and restaurants have created a model that capitalizes on the connection between local farmers, caring for ʻāina and abundance in the local economy.

The ICBF will also share the important work of the many conservation organizations in Maui.
Each sponsorship by a local business will make it possible for more youth and cultural practitioners to participate.

The core events of the festival, including the main festival day at Maui Tropical Plantation on August 27th, are zero-waste and powered by renewable sources.

The ICBF theme is E Kumupaʻa – restoring a firm foundation, recognizing that we grow from the strength and knowledge of our ancestors.

If you would like to help or volunteer for the event, please click here.